Monday Morning “Impediment to Productivity” – 200070924

Hi,
Well after a couple of bumpy weeks there, life is resuming a degree of normalcy (what ever that may be. I don’t actually think I have seen normal since I was sixteen, but that would be another story). I have been rereading the Guardian article by Naomi Wolf (the woman who wrote “The Beauty Myth”) entitled “Fascist America, in 10 easy steps”, it’s a rather scary and thought provoking piece about how America is having it’s freedoms stripped away. I think it’s probably applicable to Australia as well. Still it’s Monday and that’s depressing enough all by itself. On a really bright note for me anyway. The New York Times has turned off it’s paid subscription for the website and is now nearly all free. This means it will take me twice as long to read my email of a night.

So as PT Barnum said “There’s one Born.. Err no that’s the wrong quote .. Oh yeah I know “ON WITH THE SHOW”

Let’s begin by clearing up some outstanding “Blame” items..
This from Kalene.
“Have I sent this to you already? It is very fun. Just watch out for the fans!
http://flightsimx.archive.amnesia.com.au/
Kalene”
Real paper planes are much easier.

This from Jools..
“This is strangely hypnotic. Best listened to without the visuals.
Lev on Theremin and Thumpbot perform Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy.
and then there is this.
Love, Jools”
This is fabulous, and I disagree the visuals are great.

This from Donna.
“your capitalist democracy in all its glory!”
http://www.betelection.com/elections/index.php
and it’s companion piece that I found…
Australian Election site, care of Google
Google has started a Map mashup covering the 2007 Australian Federal Election.
http://www.google.com.au/election2007/

Don’t you just love stop motion video, I do. It has always fascinated me since that Disney show where they made the freeway in stop motion (I wish someone would put that on YouTube). I think it is a large part of why I liked Duchamp’s “Nude Descending A Staircase No 2” the first time I saw it, it conveys the same kind of image, anyway, this is a stop motion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, having a section of the bridge’s upper deck replaced. The new 6,500 ton, rebar-and-concrete section, built over several months, was literally rolled into place with just a three inch gap on either side.
http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/info/movies/bay_bridge_video_9-07.htm
Very cool.

Checkout Massimo Silenzio’s (he’s an artist) 10.000 changing-color light globes at the Circo Massimo in Rome for the Notte Bianca… it’s just pretty. It’s a shame ther is no video for it.
http://www.house42.net/htm/lif006.html
which will segue us nicely to a Flash game. Try and ignore the puerile Benny Hill humour between levels.
“Balls is a very simple game in which you play the part of a little grey ball, trying to touch a large hollow ball until it disappears. Complicating matters is the black ball, which chases you and when it catches you, makes your small grey ball grow. This in turn makes it harder to evade the black ball, and the walls which are continuously closing in on you.(shades of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona)” The game simply repeats over and over again (this really is sounding more and more like Persona) with this simple formula, making it seem a bit like a bad dream (well that’s it. Game Set and Match to Bergman). But it’s an addictive bad dream. Trust me (famous last words), try it and you’ll see what I mean.
http://www.tokenarcade.com/play-641-Balls-Flash_Game.html

Over at http://www.notdeadyet.com.au/ we have had a bumper crop of great music. Well I think so,
thatch

{Currently listening to Linda Thompson & Bill Canty’s piano improv}
{Currently reading: Network maint for morons that’s not what it it’s called but more how I feel}
{Quick Status Check: Still going to Hell. But NOT the one in Michigan USA.
Open http://maps.google.com/ and type in Hell }
{Crop Circle Status: It’s over for another year. Bum.
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2007/2007.html }